I enjoy a book that is made into a movie - I think a lot of times the movie might not necessarily improve on the film but it will bring certain elements of it to life (The Shining is one of the best horror novels ever written and the ending of the book is way better than the movie, but can you forget those twins in their bikes going down the hallway? Or the ballroom scene? Or Jack Nicholson's over the top craziness?) Here are some movies that I think work as great companions to the original books - one very unique gift idea for a reader would be to combine the two and give them a book and film for Christmas. You could have a lot of fun with this idea for people of all ages and it's likely that no one else will think to do it.

84 Charing Cross Road - Based on the memoir of the same name by writer Helen Hanff, this short book composed of letters between Hanff and the staff of a British bookshop should never have worked as a book let alone a movie but it does - brilliantly - on both counts. Anne Bancroft portrays Hanff and Anthony Hopkins is Frank Doel, the bookseller with whom she exchanges most of her letters. Bancroft is the definition of feisty - portraying Hanff in all her acerbic, witty splendor. Hopkins shows Doel to be just the opposite, a reserved man struggling to do his best in the stringent poverty of post WWII England. It's a wonderful look at a friendship forged through love of books, and a powerful way to see just how important the right book can be for a writer. This is one of my all-time favorites and a must for bibliophiles in particular.

My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell's memoir of the time his family spent on the island of Corfu in the mid-1930s is one of my favorite reads and perfectly shows the development of a great naturalist. This recent Masterpiece Theater movie, (thank you PBS!), is a delight, pure and simple. Imelda Staunton is perfection as Mrs. Durrell, struggling to deal with her difficult children (three of whom are adults) while appearing to be more than a bit eccentric herself. This is laugh-out loud funny from start to finish and the image of young Gerald, who saw no reason why he should waste his time learning about anything other than animals is particularly endearing. Perfect for the whole family.

The Wind in the Willows - Loving the book is a no-brainer but this A&E production I think is the best movie version of the classic. Using stop-motion animation, the characters all come vividly to life in a way that shows them with all their faults and foibles. We've watched this many times; it's a very sweet version of the book.

Patriot Games - Tom Clancy's bestseller was already huge before Harrison Ford really hit it out of the park with his portrayal of reluctant CIA agent Jack Ryan. This is a case where you might have seen and enjoyed the movie but never read the book, which would be a shame. For lots of different political reasons, the supporting characters were changed a bit and the royals who were attacked are cousins of the Queen, rather than the Prince and Princess of Wales as Clancy wrote. The interplay of the plot around the marriage of Charles and Diana is really well done and plays perfectly on the problems they were already having, even at that early juncture. This is a case of enjoying the film and book separate but equally and would be a nice surprise to movie fans who might not realize how many changes were made.

The Pelican Brief - Okay, everyone and their third cousin should know about the book by John Grisham, a tightly woven mystery about environmentalism, murder and corruption (not to mention a ton of greed). The book is very very good (say what you want about Grisham but the man can keep you on the edge of his seat) but Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington really hit this one out of the ballpark. The only thing missing from the film is the romance in the book - not surprising as Roberts insisted on Washington for the role and then apparently the movie makers balked at the interracial relationship (somewhere Capt Kirk and Lt Uhura wept....). Still, the two stars play off of each beautifully - these are people with charisma to spare and I wish they would make another movie together. They bring all of Grisham's excitement to life and are damn smart as they do it.

Jaws - Okay if you haven't seen the movie then you are missing one of the best thrillers of all time. So much of American pop culture comes from this film - it really has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Most modern fans are likely unaware of the best seller nature of the book however or that one of the key characters was killed in the pages. Richard Dreyfus proved too popular for death on the big screen however, in an ending that I think improved on the novel. This is how I first learned about the USS Indianapolis, a wreck that was one of the biggest papers I ever wrote in college (and resulted in me corresponding with more than one-third of the survivors). All the facts on the Indy are true. This is a good book and an out of the ballpark movie.

The High and the Mighty- John Wayne starred in the film based on Ernest K Gann's novel about trouble affecting a passenger airliner between Honolulu and San Francisco. Gann was one of the best aviator/writers of all time. He flew all over the world and was with TWA in its early years. He knew about this subject inside and out. High and the Mighty was his chance to play around with the whole notion of seniority - something that allows pilots with more flight time to be promoted first. On the surface it seems to make sense as you would think that more flight time with the company equals more experience but that is sometimes not at all the case. John Wayne is the second-in-command who knows what to do when things get rough. There's an all-star cast onboard but this is nothing like the funny Airplane movies of later decades. High and the Mighty was nominated for six Oscars - including Best Director. It's a classic and the book (along with all of Gann's flying titles) is outstanding.

Chocolat - I'm kind of conflicted on this one as their aspects of both the film and book that I enjoy. In her novel, Joanne Harris has Vianne take on the Catholic Church and her conflict about hedonism and indulgence is not with the town mayor but the priest, which makes for a lot of interesting discussion about religion and God and all that. But the book's ending just didn't work for me with the romantic way in which the book was written - it was like you were led to believe one thing and Harris pulled away in the final pages to give you something else. Now in the movie, you have a less direct battle with straitlaced villagers who just seem to think that if something looks and tastes good it must be sinful and wrong - but no real explanation as to why they feel this way. On the plus side is the romance between Vianne and another stranger - Roux, played by Johnny Depp. The ending here is the perfect payoff which makes this an outstanding romantic film. Tell them to read the book first and then watch the movie - they will love both this way, I promise.